Elsewhere, Halo 4 saw a series best for the largest number of players, with four million users in its first five days spending a total of 31.4 million hours on the game.

"We're thrilled that Halo 4 has emerged as the biggest US entertainment launch of the year," said vice president Phil Spencer.

"Thanks to the millions of fans worldwide who helped make this another record-breaking launch for the Halo franchise, Halo 4 is kicking off a strong holiday season and has become the must-have blockbuster experience of the year."

The game is set four years after the events of Halo 3, marking the return of iconic hero Master Chief and representing the beginning of a brand new saga.

In addition to the single-player campaign, Halo 4 features a robust multiplayer offering through War Games, which will take place on the Spartan training ship Infinity and will tie into the game's story.

The game has experienced a number of server issues at launch, including connection, matchmaking and ranking problems.